The annual Montreal Sports Celebrity Evening wasn’t planned to be a goodbye party for the Canadiens’ Brendan Gallagher, but that’s what it ended up being Sunday night at the Cummings Centre.
Last fall, Gallagher agreed to be part of the 22nd annual fundraising event and be honoured as the Sports Personality of the Year. Gallagher was coming off a 21-goal season and at the time nobody knew he was heading into what would be his 14th and final season with the Canadiens.
But as the season went on, it started to become clear the 34-year-old Gallagher didn’t have a future with the team. He was a healthy scratch for five regular-season games and scored only seven goals in the 77 games he played. He was then made a healthy scratch for 16 of 19 playoff games.
When players met with the media for the final time last Monday, Gallagher spoke about how upset he was being left out of the lineup for the last playoff game against the Carolina Hurricanes. He also said his time with the Canadiens was over with one season remaining on his contract with a US$6.5 million salary-cap hit.
In a one-on-one interview before Sunday’s dinner, Gallagher confirmed that the Canadiens have given his agent, Gerry Johansson, permission to speak with other NHL teams to facilitate a trade.
“It was an emotional exit interview,” Gallagher said about his meeting with Canadiens management last Monday before facing the media. “But you put things in perspective and I’ve really enjoyed my time here. I feel fortunate and blessed. And now it’s just on to the next chapter for me. Definitely not done yet. There’s a lot more left in the tank. And for us, I think we’re just excited about a new opportunity. But it’s never going to be lost on me that Montreal is going to be home.”
Gallagher’s wife, Emma, was with him at Sunday’s event. The Ste-Julie native is pregnant with their second child and is due to give birth very soon.
I asked Gallagher if he was sending a message to management with his comments last Monday about wanting to move on from Montreal.
“No,” he said. “Honestly, I just kind of finished up talking with management, but it wasn’t the first time we’d had conversations. We’ve been talking for a while. I was pretty aware of the situation long before that day. Saying it out loud and kind of thinking about some things, the emotions hit you. But for me, it wasn’t a surprise or a shock. I just wanted to portray how happy and how much I enjoyed being a Montreal Canadien and how much it meant to my whole family. I’ll be back. There will be a time where I return and it will always be a special place for us.
“I’ve had conversations with (management) and they’re going to do everything to help me find a place where I can be happy,” Gallagher added. “Everyone wants to feel important, and I feel like I’m going to find a place where I’m going to go and be able to be myself and have some use.”
Gallagher posed for hundreds of photos and signed hundreds of autographs Sunday night with a big smile on his face. He felt the love from Montreal fans — young and old — who gave him a huge ovation when he was announced as the Sports Personality of the Year.
To highlight how popular Gallagher is in Montreal, Sunday’s event raised a record $1 million — doubling the previous record of $500,000 set last year, when former Canadiens goalie Carey Price was the Sports Personality of the Year. The money raised will support services and programs for seniors who use the Cummings Centre.
Pierre Houde, the longtime play-by-play voice for the Canadiens on RDS, received the Larry Fredericks Media Award and former pitcher Denis Boucher received the Expos Tribute Award. Farrel Miller, who used to own the QMJHL’s Montreal Juniors and developed Live Barn — an automated broadcast system that live streams amateur and youth sporting events — was the Community Honouree for his philanthropy.
Gallagher did a sit-down interview with Houde on the stage Sunday night and spoke about his love for Montreal and Canadiens fans.
“It’s not lost on me how lucky I’ve been and how lucky I am to have spent as much time as I have in this city and represent the Montreal Canadiens,” Gallagher said. “It’s a privilege of a lifetime. It’s just all happy and positive thoughts. I’m just very thankful for all you guys and everyone who makes up the Montreal Canadiens community.
“I am so grateful for the last 14 years,” he added. “Being a Montreal Canadien has really been all I’ve ever known. But, for me, I am a little bit excited about what’s next. I’ve always loved a challenge and, for me, it’s going to be something new and, for our family, I think it’s going to be a good thing. The team will be just fine. I’m not worried about them. For me, it’s on to the next chapter and we’re excited about that.”
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